Federal Register / Vol. 72, No.
48 / Tuesday, March 13, 2007 / Proposed Rules 11297
The Proposed Amendment
Accordingly, pursuant to the
authority delegated to me by the
Administrator, the Federal Aviation
Administration proposes to amend part
39 of the Federal Aviation Regulations
(14 CFR part 39) as follows:
PART 39—AIRWORTHINESS
DIRECTIVES
1. The authority citation for part 39
continues to read as follows:
Authority: 49 U.S.C. 106(g), 40113, 44701.
§ 39.13 [Amended]
2. Section 39.13 is amended by
removing Amendment 39–12737 (67 FR
22349, May 3, 2002), and by adding a
new airworthiness directive (AD), to
read as follows:
Bell Helicopter Textron, Inc.: Docket No.
FAA–2007–27496; Directorate Identifier
2005–SW–37–AD. Supersedes AD 2002–
09–04, Amendment 39–12737, Docket
No. 2001–SW–37–AD.
Applicability
Model 205A, 205A–1, 205B, 212, 412,
412CF, and 412EP helicopters with a tail
rotor blade (blade), part number 212–010–
750–009 through –129, all serial numbers
except serial numbers with a prefix of ‘‘A’’
or ‘‘AFS’’ and the number 11926, 13351,
13367, 13393, 13400, 13402, 13515, 13540,
13568, 13595 through 13602, 13619, and
subsequent assigned numbers, installed,
certificated in any category.
Compliance
Within 100 hours time-in-service, unless
accomplished previously.
To prevent loss of the forward tip weight
retention block (tip block) or aft tip closure
(tip closure), loss of the blade, and
subsequent loss of control of the helicopter,
accomplish the following:
(a) Inspect the tip block and tip closure for
voids. Remove from service any blade with
a void in excess of that allowed by the
Component Repair and Overhaul Manual
limitations.
(b) Inspect the tip block attachment
countersink screws in four locations to
determine if the head of each countersunk
screw is flush with the surface of the
abrasion strip. The locations of these four
screws are depicted on Figure 1 of Bell
Helicopter Textron, Inc. Alert Service
Bulletins 205–00–80, 205B–00–34, 212–00–
111, 412–00–106, and 412CF–00–13, all
Revision D, all dated March 18, 2005 (ASB).
If any of these screws are set below the
surface of the abrasion strip or are covered
with filler material, install shear pins by
following the Accomplishment Instructions,
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Part A, Shear Pin Installation paragraphs, of
the ASB appropriate for your model
helicopter.
(c) Install the aft tip closure rivets, re-
identify the modified blade by adding an
‘‘FM,’’ and dynamically balance the tail rotor
hub assembly by following the
Accomplishment Instructions, Part B, Aft Tip
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Closure Rivet Installation paragraphs, of the
ASB appropriate for your model helicopter.
(d) To request a different method of
compliance or a different compliance time
for this AD, follow the procedures in 14 CFR
39.19. Contact the Manager, Rotorcraft
Certification Office, Rotorcraft Directorate,
FAA, ATTN: Michael Kohner, Aviation
Safety Engineer, Fort Worth, Texas 76193–
0170, telephone (817) 222–5447, fax (817)
222–5783, for information about previously
approved alternative methods of compliance.
Issued in Fort Worth, Texas, on February
28, 2007.
S. Frances Cox,
Acting Manager, Rotorcraft Directorate,
Aircraft Certification Service.
[FR Doc. E7–4525 Filed 3–12–07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910–13–P
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Aviation Administration
14 CFR Part 39
[Docket No. FAA–2007–27495; Directorate
Identifier 2005–SW–14–AD]
RIN 2120–AA64
Airworthiness Directives; Eurocopter
France Model AS350B, BA, B1, B2, B3,
C, D, and D1; EC–130B4; and AS355E,
F, F1, F2, and N Helicopters
AGENCY: Federal Aviation
Administration, DOT.
ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking
(NPRM).
SUMMARY: This document proposes
adopting a new airworthiness directive
(AD) for the specified Eurocopter France
(ECF) model helicopters. This proposal
would require, within the next 30 days,
modifying the collective hold-down
strap (strap) and thereafter inspecting it
at specified intervals to ensure the
rubber grommet is resting against the
console or replacing the strap with an
ECF designed strap that has a torsional
spring at the lower end of the strap. This
proposal is prompted by reports of two
accidents occurring while the pilots
were performing an autorotation. The
pilots were unable to arrest the descent
of the helicopter using collective blade
pitch due to the collective stick locking
in the down position when the
collective was lowered during the
maneuver. The actions specified by this
proposed AD are intended to prevent
inadvertent locking of a collective stick
in flight and the flight crew not being
aware of the locked condition leading to
a subsequent loss of control of the
helicopter.
DATES: Comments must be received on
or before May 14, 2007.
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ADDRESSES: Use one of the following
addresses to submit comments on this
proposed AD:
• DOT Docket Web site: Go to
http://dms.dot.gov and follow the
instructions for sending your comments
electronically;
• Government-wide rulemaking Web
site: Go to http://www.regulations.gov
and follow the instructions for sending
your comments electronically;
• Mail: Docket Management Facility;
U.S. Department of Transportation, 400
Seventh Street, SW., Nassif Building,
Room PL–401, Washington, DC 20590;
• Fax: 202–493–2251; or
• Hand Delivery: Room PL–401 on
the plaza level of the Nassif Building,
400 Seventh Street, SW., Washington,
DC, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday
through Friday, except Federal holidays.
You may examine the comments to
this proposed AD in the AD docket on
the Internet at http://dms.dot.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Vince Massey, Aerospace Engineer,
FAA, Seattle Aircraft Certification
Office, Systems and Equipment Branch,
1601 Lind Avenue, SW., Renton,
Washington 98055–4056, telephone
(425) 917–6475, fax (425) 917–6590.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Comments Invited
We invite you to submit any written
data, views, or arguments regarding this
proposed AD. Send your comments to
the address listed under the caption
ADDRESSES. Include the docket number
‘‘FAA–2007–27495, Directorate
Identifier 2005–SW–14AD’’ at the
beginning of your comments. We
specifically invite comments on the
overall regulatory, economic,
environmental, and energy aspects of
the proposed AD. We will consider all
comments received by the closing date
and may amend the proposed AD in
light of those comments.
We will post all comments we
receive, without change, to http://
dms.dot.gov, including any personal
information you provide. We will also
post a report summarizing each
substantive verbal contact with FAA
personnel concerning this proposed
rulemaking. Using the search function
of our docket Web site, you can find and
read the comments to any of our
dockets, including the name of the
individual who sent or signed the
comment. You may review the DOT’s
complete Privacy Act Statement in the
Federal Register published on April 11,
2000 (65 FR 19477–78), or you may visit
http://dms.dot.gov.
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 11298 Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 48 / Tuesday, March 13, 2007 / Proposed Rules
Examining the Docket
You may examine the docket that
contains the proposed AD, any
comments, and other information in
person at the Docket Management
System (DMS) Docket Office between 9
a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through
Friday, except Federal holidays. The
Docket Office (telephone 1–800–647–
5227) is located at the plaza level of the
Department of Transportation NASSIF
Building in Room PL–401 at 400
Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC.
Comments will be available in the AD
docket shortly after the DMS receives
them.
Discussion
This document proposes adopting a
new AD for the specified ECF model
helicopters. This proposal would
require, within the next 30 days,
modifying the strap and thereafter
inspecting it at specified intervals to
ensure the rubber grommet is resting
against the console or replacing the
strap with an ECF strap designed with
the torsional spring at the lower end of
the strap. This proposal is prompted by
reports of two accidents occurring while
the pilots were performing an
autorotation. The pilots were unable to
arrest the descent of the helicopter using
collective blade pitch due to the
collective control locking in the down
position when the collective was
lowered during the maneuver. The
positive locking feature and the
structural integrity of the hold-down
strap prevent the pilot from overriding
the collective stick control lock by
simply pulling up on the collective
control stick. Before the collective stick
can be raised, it must be held in a
position where the button on the end of
the collective stick is centered in the
hole in the hold-down strap and then
pushed forward to disengage the hold-
down strap from the button on the end
of the collective stick. The actions
specified by this proposed AD are
intended to prevent inadvertent locking
of a collective stick in flight and the
flight crew not being aware of the
locked condition leading to a
subsequent loss of control of the
helicopter.
This unsafe condition is likely to exist
or develop on other helicopters of these
same type designs. Therefore, the
proposed AD would require you to do
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the following within the next 30 days:
• Modify the strap by forming the
strap as depicted in Figure 1 of this AD.
Install the modified strap so that the
rubber grommet rests against the
console. Thereafter, at intervals not to
exceed 100 hours time-in-service,
VerDate Aug<31>2005 15:00 Mar 12, 2007 Jkt 211001
inspect the strap to ensure the rubber
grommet is resting against the console.
• An alternative approach for
complying with this AD is to replace the
affected strap with an ECF designed
strap that has a torsional spring at the
lower end of the strap.
Replacing the strap with an ECF
designed strap that has a torsional
spring at the lower end of the strap
would constitute terminating action for
the requirements of this AD.
We estimate that this proposed AD
would affect 475 helicopters of U.S.
registry. The proposed actions would
take about 10 minutes to inspect a strap,
20 minutes to modify it, and 30 minutes
to replace a strap at an average labor rate
of $80 per work hour. Required parts
would cost about $194.70 per helicopter
for the ECF strap designed with the
torsional spring at the end of the strap.
Based on these figures, we estimate the
total cost impact of the AD on U.S.
operators would be $111,483 if the ECF
strap designed with the torsional spring
at the end is installed in the entire fleet.
Regulatory Findings
We have determined that this
proposed AD would not have federalism
implications under Executive Order
13132. Additionally, this proposed AD
would not have a substantial direct
effect on the States, on the relationship
between the national Government and
the States, or on the distribution of
power and responsibilities among the
various levels of government.
For the reasons discussed above, I
certify that the proposed regulation:
1. Is not a ‘‘significant regulatory
action’’ under Executive Order 12866;
2. Is not a ‘‘significant rule’’ under the
DOT Regulatory Policies and Procedures
(44 FR 11034, February 26, 1979); and
3. Will not have a significant
economic impact, positive or negative,
on a substantial number of small entities
under the criteria of the Regulatory
Flexibility Act.
We prepared a draft economic
evaluation of the estimated costs to
comply with this proposed AD. See the
DMS to examine the draft economic
evaluation.
Authority for This Rulemaking
Title 49 of the United States Code
specifies the FAA’s authority to issue
rules on aviation safety. Subtitle I,
section 106, describes the authority of
the FAA Administrator. Subtitle VII,
Aviation Programs, describes in more
detail the scope of the Agency’s
authority.
We are issuing this rulemaking under
the authority described in subtitle VII,
PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 4702 Sfmt 4702 E:\FR\FM\13MRP1.SGM
part A, subpart III, section 44701,
‘‘General requirements.’’ Under that
section, Congress charges the FAA with
promoting safe flight of civil aircraft in
air commerce by prescribing regulations
for practices, methods, and procedures
the Administrator finds necessary for
safety in air commerce. This regulation
is within the scope of that authority
because it addresses an unsafe condition
that is likely to exist or develop on
products identified in this rulemaking
action.
List of Subjects in 14 CFR Part 39
Air transportation, Aircraft, Aviation
safety, Safety.
The Proposed Amendment
Accordingly, pursuant to the
authority delegated to me by the
Administrator, the Federal Aviation
Administration proposes to amend part
39 of the Federal Aviation Regulations
(14 CFR part 39) as follows:
PART 39—AIRWORTHINESS
DIRECTIVES
1. The authority citation for part 39
continues to read as follows:
Authority: 49 U.S.C. 106(g), 40113, 44701.
§ 39.13 [Amended]
2. Section 39.13 is amended by
adding a new airworthiness directive to
read as follows:
Eurocopter France: Docket No. FAA–2007–
27495; Directorate Identifier 2005–SW–
14–AD.
Applicability
Model AS350B, BA, B1, B2, B3, C, D, and
D1; EC–130B4; and AS355E, F, F1, F2, and
N helicopters, with a collective hold-down
strap (strap), part number (P/N)
350A273107126, installed, certificated in any
category.
Compliance
Required as indicated.
To prevent inadvertent locking of a
collective stick in the lowered position
during flight and the flight crew not being
aware of the locked condition leading to a
subsequent loss of control of the helicopter,
do the following:
(a) Within the next 30 days, unless
accomplished previously, modify the strap
by forming the strap as depicted in Figure 1
of this AD. Install the modified strap so that
the rubber grommet rests against the console.
Thereafter, at intervals not to exceed 100
hours time-in-service, inspect the strap to
ensure that the rubber grommet is resting
against the console.
Note: Vertical adjustment of the strap is
described in the applicable Eurocopter
France maintenance manual.
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 11300 Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 48 / Tuesday, March 13, 2007 / Proposed Rules
(b) An alternative approach for complying
with paragraph (a) of this AD this AD is to
replace the affected strap with an ECF
designed strap kit, P/N 350A27–0350–
0071,that has a torsional spring at the lower
end of the strap. The following Parts List
constitutes the required parts of the ECF
strap kit designed with the torsional spring
at the lower end of the strap:
Item Part No.
(1) Leaf Assy 350A27–1426–03
(2) Spring ..... 350A27–1423–21
(3) Leaf Sup- 350A27–1421–20
port.
(4) Cotter Pin 23310CA015012 ...
(5) Shear Pin 22719BC050068L
(6) Screw ...... 22208CM050010 ..
(7) Washer ... 23111AG050LE ....
(8) Support ... 350A27–1377–01
(c) Replacing the strap with an ECF
designed strap kit as described in paragraph
(b) of this AD constitutes terminating action
for the requirements of this AD.
(d) To request a different method of
compliance or a different compliance time
for this AD, follow the procedures in 14 CFR
39.19. Contact the Seattle Aircraft
Certification Office, FAA, ATTN: Vince
Massey, Aerospace Engineer, FAA, Systems
and Equipment Branch, 1601 Lind Avenue
SW., Renton, Washington 98057, telephone
(425) 917–6475, fax (425) 917–6590, for
information about previously approved
alternative methods of compliance.
Issued in Fort Worth, Texas, on February
26, 2007.
David A. Downey,
Manager, Rotorcraft Directorate, Aircraft
Certification Service.
[FR Doc. 07–1167 Filed 3–12–07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910–13–P
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Aviation Administration
14 CFR Part 39
[Docket No. FAA–2006–26284; Directorate
Identifier 2006–CE–68–AD]
RIN 2120–AA64
Airworthiness Directives; British
Aerospace Regional Aircraft Jetstream
Model 3201 Airplanes
AGENCY: Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA), Department of
Transportation (DOT).
ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking
(NPRM).
cprice-sewell on PROD1PC66 with PROPOSALS
SUMMARY: We propose to adopt a new
airworthiness directive (AD) for the
products listed above. This proposed
AD results from mandatory continuing
airworthiness information (MCAI)
issued by an aviation authority of
another country to identify and correct
VerDate Aug<31>2005 15:00 Mar 12, 2007 Jkt 211001
an unsafe condition on an aviation
product. The MCAI describes the unsafe
condition as:
The Airworthiness Limitations Section of
the Aircraft Maintenance Manual (AMM)
applicable to the British Aerospace Jetstream
3200 has been revised. Some lives have been
amended and new lives introduced.
Compliance with these requirements is
Quantity necessary to maintain airworthiness.
The proposed AD would require actions
1 text copied from the MCAI and for this
that are intended to address the unsafe
1
1 condition described in the MCAI.
DATES: We must receive comments on
1 this proposed AD by April 12, 2007.
1 ADDRESSES: You may send comments by
2 We invite you to send any written
any of the following methods:
3 relevant data, views, or arguments about
• DOT Docket Web Site: Go to
1 this proposed AD. Send your comments
http://dms.dot.gov and follow the
instructions for sending your comments
electronically.
• Fax: (202) 493–2251.
• Mail: Docket Management Facility,
U.S. Department of Transportation, 400
Seventh Street, SW., Nassif Building,
Room PL–401, Washington, DC 20590–
0001.
• Hand Delivery: Room PL–401 on
the plaza level of the Nassif Building,
400 Seventh Street, SW., Washington,
DC, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday
through Friday, except Federal holidays.
• Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://
www.regulations.gov. Follow the
instructions for submitting comments.
Examining the AD Docket
You may examine the AD docket on
the Internet at http://dms.dot.gov; or in
person at the Docket Management
Facility between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.,
Monday through Friday, except Federal
holidays. The AD docket contains this
proposed AD, the regulatory evaluation,
any comments received, and other
information. The street address for the
Docket Office (telephone (800) 647–
5227) is in the ADDRESSES section.
Comments will be available in the AD
docket shortly after receipt.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Taylor Martin, Aerospace Safety
Engineer, FAA, Small Airplane
Directorate, 901 Locust, Room 301,
Kansas City, Missouri 64106; telephone:
(816) 329–4138; fax: (816) 329–4090.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Streamlined Issuance of AD
The FAA is implementing a new
process for streamlining the issuance of
ADs related to MCAI. This streamlined
process will allow us to adopt MCAI
safety requirements in a more efficient
manner and will reduce safety risks to
the public. This process continues to
follow all FAA AD issuance processes to
meet legal, economic, Administrative
PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 4702 Sfmt 4702 E:\FR\FM\13MRP1.SGM
Procedure Act, and Federal Register
requirements. We also continue to meet
our technical decision-making
responsibilities to identify and correct
unsafe conditions on U.S.-certificated
products.
This proposed AD references the
MCAI and related service information
that we considered in forming the
engineering basis to correct the unsafe
condition. The proposed AD contains
reason might not follow our plain
language principles.
Comments Invited
to an address listed under the
ADDRESSES section. Include ‘‘Docket No.
FAA–2006–26284; Directorate Identifier
2006–CE–68–AD’’ at the beginning of
your comments. We specifically invite
comments on the overall regulatory,
economic, environmental, and energy
aspects of this proposed AD. We will
consider all comments received by the
closing date and may amend this
proposed AD because of those
comments.
We will post all comments we
receive, without change, to http://
dms.dot.gov, including any personal
information you provide. We will also
post a report summarizing each
substantive verbal contact we receive
about this proposed AD.
Discussion
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA),
which is the airworthiness authority for
the United Kingdom, has issued AD No.
G–2004–0024, Issue Date: September 22,
2004, European Aviation Safety Agency
(EASA) approved on September 16,
2004, under approval number 2004–
9648 (referred to after this as ‘‘the
MCAI’’), to correct an unsafe condition
for the specified products. The MCAI
states:
The Airworthiness Limitations Section of
the Aircraft Maintenance Manual (AMM)
applicable to the British Aerospace Jetstream
3200 has been revised. Some lives have been
amended and new lives introduced.
Compliance with these requirements is
necessary to maintain airworthiness.
The MCAI requires:
From the effective date of this
Airworthiness Directive (AD), comply with
the requirements of BAE Jetstream Series
3200 Aircraft Maintenance Manual, Chapter
05–10–05, Airworthiness Limitations
Description and Operation Section,*
Revision 14 or later EASA approved revision.
* Only the structural fatigue tasks are
mandated by this AD, the following tasks are
not addressed by this AD: All the tasks
recorded in Tables 2, 4, 5 and 8. Together
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